A Laboratory Animal Model for Malignant Hyperpyrexia1

ABSTRACT Durbin, Charle

SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT ENFORCEMENT AND MEASUREMENT OF NETWORK SLICES

The embodiments presented herein disclose a method to predict, score, and ultimately select networks such as radio access networks, as well as heterogeneous network layers such as macro, piccolo, and the like. Technologies that are optimally able to meet service level agreements for different types of network slices, such as enterprise Wi-Fi and SP 3GPP, may also be selected

Imaging Active Infection in vivo Using D-Amino Acid Derived PET Radiotracers.

Occult bacterial infections represent a worldwide health problem. Differentiating active bacterial infection from sterile inflammation can be difficult using current imaging tools. Present clinically viable methodologies either detect morphologic changes (CT/ MR), recruitment of immune cells (111In-WBC SPECT), or enhanced glycolytic flux seen in inflammatory cells (18F-FDG PET). However, these strategies are often inadequate to detect bacterial infection and are not specific for living bacteria. Recent approaches have taken advantage of key metabolic differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, allowing easier distinction between bacteria and their host. In this report, we exploited one key difference, bacterial cell wall biosynthesis, to detect living bacteria using a positron-labeled D-amino acid. After screening several 14C D-amino acids for their incorporation into E. coli in culture, we identified D-methionine as a probe with outstanding radiopharmaceutical potential. Based on an analogous procedure to that used for L-[methyl-11C]methionine ([11C] L-Met), we developed an enhanced asymmetric synthesis of D-[methyl-11C]methionine ([11C] D-Met), and showed that it can rapidly and selectively differentiate both E. coli and S. aureus infections from sterile inflammation in vivo. We believe that the ease of [11C] D-Met radiosynthesis, coupled with its rapid and specific in vivo bacterial accumulation, make it an attractive radiotracer for infection imaging in clinical practice

Prevalence of malignant hyperthermia diagnosis in obstetric patients in the United States, 2003 to 2014

Background The cost-benefit of stocking dantrolene in maternity units for treating malignant hyperthermia (MH) has been recently questioned because of the low incidence of MH crisis in the general population and the low utilization of general anesthesia in obstetrics. However, no study has examined the prevalence of MH susceptibility in obstetrics. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of MH diagnosis and associated factors in obstetric patients. Methods Data for this study came from the National Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2014, a 20% nationally representative sample of discharge records from community hospitals. A diagnosis of MH due to anesthesia was identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 995.86. MH prevalence was estimated according to the delivery mode and patient and hospital characteristics. Results During the 12-year study period, 47,178,322 delivery-related discharges [including 15,175,127 (32.2%) cesarean deliveries] were identified. Of them, 215 recorded a diagnosis of MH, yielding a prevalence of 0.46 per 100,000 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.40 to 0.52]. The prevalence of MH diagnosis in cesarean deliveries was 0.81 per 100,000 (95% CI, 0.67 to 0.97), compared with 0.29 per 100,000 (95% CI, 0.23 to 0.35) in vaginal deliveries (P <  0.001). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that cesarean delivery was associated with a significantly increased risk of MH diagnosis [adjusted rate ratio (aOR) 2.88; 95% CI, 2.19 to 3.80]. Prevalence of MH diagnosis was lower in Hispanics than in non-Hispanic whites (aOR 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.76) and higher in the South than in the Northeast census regions (aOR 2.44; 95% CI, 1.50 to 3.96). Conclusion The prevalence of MH-susceptibility is about 1 in 125,000 in cesarean deliveries, similar to the prevalence reported in non-obstetrical surgery inpatients. The findings of this study suggest that stocking dantrolene in maternity units is justified

Development and evolution of the MHAUS cognitive aid for malignant hyperthermia

Cognitive aids help the stressed practitioner in an emergency setting carry out complex tasks. Ideally, they ensure the completion of key steps and prevent unnecessary ones. Malignant hyperthermia is an emergency event that lends itself to the use of a cognitive aid. Experts associated with the Malignant Hyperthermia Association (MHAUS) first developed a cognitive aid in the form of a “poster” in the mid-1980s

iMEC: Online Marker Efficiency Calculator

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: To accurately design plant genetic studies, the information content of utilized markers and primers must be calculated. Plant genotyping studies should take into account the efficiency of each marker system by calculating different parameters to find the optimal combination of primers. This can be problematic because there are currently no easily accessible applications that can be used to calculate multiple indices together. METHODS AND RESULTS: The program Online Marker Efficiency Calculator (iMEC) was developed using R for the simple computation of seven polymorphism indices (heterozygosity index, polymorphism information content, discriminating power, effective multiplex ratio, marker index, arithmetic mean heterozygosity, and resolving power). These indices are based on dominant and codominant DNA fingerprinting markers, thus allowing comparison and selection of optimal genetic markers for a given data set. CONCLUSIONS: iMEC simplifies the calculation of diverse indices for the marker of choice to better enable researchers to measure polymorphism information for individual markers.Peer reviewe

PRAD1 (Cyclin D1): A Parathyroid Neoplasia Gene on 11q13

Hyperparathyroidism is a central component of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1), and both sporadic and familial forms of parathyroid disease may share certain pathogenetic features. We recently identified a gene that is clonally rearranged with the PTH locus in a subset of sporadic parathyroid adenomas. This candidate oncogene, PRAD1 (previously D11S287), appears to contribute to parathyroid tumorigenesis in a fashion analogous to activation of C-MYC or BCL-2 by rearrangement with tissue-specific enhancers of the immunoglobulin genes in B-lymphoid neoplasia. The PRAD1 gene maps to 11q13 and has been linked to the BCL-1 breakpoint locus, although not to the most tightly linked MEN 1 markers, by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. PRAD1 may, in fact, be the long-sought BCL-1 lymphoma oncogene. PRAD1 encodes a novel type of cyclin protein and thus may normally function in controlling the cell cycle, perhaps through direct interaction with cdc2 or a related kinase. PRAD1\u27s possible primary, or more likely secondary, involvement in the pathogenesis of MEN 1-related tumors is unknown and under investigation